Hello Casual Leftist,
What I can't wrap my head around is what the ruling elite stand to gain. Even they will die one day - then what will their legacy be?
They are in a race with each other to see who can accumulate the most wealth before they die. If they perceive someone else is surpassing them, they feel like a failure. They have made the mistake of equating wealth with happiness.
The world is chock-full of geniuses who have not used their intelligence in the pursuit of excess wealth. Truly smart and happy people understand there is far more to life than accumulating wealth. You need enough wealth to have your needs met and a little extra to enjoy some splurging, but too much wealth can be a burden, causing great stress. Being trapped in the wealth race is a sad trap.
I know a fellow who made a killing in the stock market young and was independently wealthy by age 35. He was free to live a life of ease without ever working. He ended up being a yacht captain for some very wealthy people, and eventually just got his own yacht and began wandering whereever he felt like going. He sends me emails with good jokes and stories of his adventures. I'm glad my friend is enjoying life the way he wants to.
I look at IMPOTUS and I see a very sad man. He could have stopped being so controversial and just begun enjoying his own life a long time ago, being independently wealthy at age 30. He chose to chase after more of what he already had plenty of, the fool. And it is a crying shame to see that if he had simply invested his money wisely in market-based funds, he would be far richer today than after all the conniving and bankruptcies. But it was never about the money for him. He already had far more than he would ever have needed. He has spent his life trying to prove something to himself and his father, and he has failed. He has been trying to prove a lie. The lie is that the family wealth came on the up and up. His father ripped off the government program to house America after WWII. That is where the wealth came from.
IMPOTUS has lived a wasted life marred by bankruptcies, court cases and divorce. He loudly proclaims to any willing ear that he has been a victim, that everyone is out to get him. What a shallow fool. He had it made and he didn't even know it. He should have taken a fraction of his fortune and gotten himself some really good mental counseling, but his ego wouldn't let him do it. So many people in this world could use that help to sort out their personal mysteries but can't afford it. He could and never availed himself of it. He is a fool on top of a fool. One thing he is not is the great leader America needs. Anybody who thinks he is - is a fool.
True happiness can't be bought. It has to be earned. And that means getting your head in the right place.